The invention relates to glands and more particularly to a split gland which can be laterally slipped over tubing rather than necessarily be placed on tubing by sliding it over an end thereof.
Typical applications for glands include attaching conduit or tubing between fuel pump and carburetor, cooling lines between radiators and automatic transmissions, and pressure lines in both pneumatic and hydraulic systems in automotive, aircraft, marine, earth moving, agricultural equipment and the like. In such applications, the tubing is typically steel or copper, pre-formed or bendable to form. Conventional glands must be slipped over the ends of the tubing. The tubing is then usually either flared or ferrules are disposed on the tubing near its ends. The ends of the tubing are then secured to appropriate fittings by the glands being threaded therein to form fluid tight connections.
Once the tubing is bent a sufficient amount, conventional glands cannot be slid over the bend because the inside diameter of the gland must be sufficiently small to hold the tubing in position when the gland is threaded into a fitting. Hence, conventional glands can only be slid along relatively straight tubing.
At times the threads of a gland are stripped during the connection of tubing to a fitting, the flats of the head of the gland become rounded, or the gland may be discovered to be defective after it is in place on the tubing. Any of these conditions may occur after the gland is on the tubing and the tubing is flared or a ferrule mounted thereon. In such cases, the tubing must be severed in order for the gland to be removed. The tubing must then be replaced or the severed tubing reconnected in some manner, necessitating additional parts and labor. In some cases, a length of tubing may contain a series of very tight bends. A conventional gland cannot be slipped the length of such a tubing. For these and many other reasons known to those skilled in the art it is extremely desirable to have a gland which can be slipped laterally over tubing.